An Alliance of Mortals, page 6
part #6 of The New Earth Chronicles Series
Tamara looked troubled.
“I'm sorry, Chao, but I am still struggling with that as well. Yes, I know that Ellas is not evil, and that her people aren't either. But they are still strange and alien to many of us. Ellas looks like a true fairy, the way that most of us imagined they would appear back in the old days. But the Fay don't all look like her, do they? Some of them are monstrous creatures that appear to be related more to trolls than they are to fairies. There are Fay who look like walking trees and others who appear to be misshapen, wolf-like monsters. Humans fear what they do not understand, and the three of us know that. How do I sell their offer of allegiance to these people in a way that will convince them?”
Chao and Sebastian looked at each other silently. Sebastian shrugged helplessly and Chao turned back to Tamara.
“I don't know,” he admitted. “I know why we should accept Ellas' offer, and so do both of you. But we are taking the long view. Fear is a powerful emotion. I know that very well. If enough of our friends fear the unknown quantity that they represent, they may reject the Fay. And that would be a tragic mistake.”
Tamara looked down the table and saw that the leaders were beginning to look back at her expectantly, waiting for her to speak again. She clenched her hands into fists and stared blankly on the notes in front of her.
“I don't know what to say to them,” she whispered. “I just don't. Damn it, Bastian, I'm not a politician! I'm not gifted in finding the right words to sway people's opinions. All I can do is tell them the truth. And the truth is not going to convince these people. It just isn't.”
The others around the table began to notice Tamara's long silence and a worried muttering could be heard. Malcolm, Sylvie and Veronique looked at each other with concern.
“What is going on?” Sylvie wondered. “Doesn't Tamara have more to say?”
“That's what I thought,” Veronique said with a frown. “If the meeting has ended, why hasn't she dismissed us?”
Malcolm stared at the head of the table for a moment, watching Tamara closely.
“She's worried about something,” he told the sisters. “I don't think I've ever seen Tamara look so unsure of herself. I don't know what she is hesitating about, but the longer she waits to speak, the more nervous these folks will become. And that won't help her case, whatever it is.”
Another minute passed and then Tamara slowly rose to her feet. She looked up and down the conference table and waited for the whispering to die down.
“I'm sorry for making you all wait,” she told the group. “I have one more potential ally to tell you about that wishes to join with us against our enemies, but frankly I'm not sure if you will be as welcoming to the idea of an alliance with them as you have been to the dwarves and the elves.”
She smiled wryly at them.
“I know that you have all seen things over the past two decades that once upon a time would have been dismissed as fantasy. Dragons destroyed our world. Magic returned to twist all of us into new beings.”
She raised her right hand and a yellow flame appeared to hover just above her palm. Tamara smiled as its light washed over her features.
“Mages like my brother and myself were created, a gift from the lords of Light to our people to try to help us battle the forces of Darkness. And somehow we have survived.”
She closed her fingers into a fist and the flame vanished.
“But we are still threatened with extinction every day. The race of dragons has been reborn and they soar across our skies once again. Since the death of the primal red dragon, they have left us alone, but there is no guarantee that will last. Goblins regularly cross the Channel to attack this castle and we lose people every time they do. Yes, a new generation of humans has been born since the old Earth fell and the New Earth emerged, but most of them are still too young to aid us in our struggle. And all of you know that for some reason, our birth rate is very low. Maybe it's because we are all aging much more slowly than we once did before we Changed. Maybe it's something else. We have no idea. But with every attack, our enemies whittle us down and our numbers decrease. We have found as many survivors around the world as we are going to and the people that we have now are all that we are going to get.”
She stopped for a moment and watched as the leaders whispered nervously with each other.
“That is why we need whatever allies we can find,” she said, interrupting the worried murmurs. “Yes, the dwarves and elves want to help us, hoping for our aid in return. That's how alliances work. We help them and they help us. We'll work out the details later, but I think that we can all trust them to act in good faith. But the last group of potential allies that wishes to join us, even though they follow the Light, are an unknown quantity and I'm not sure that you are all open-minded enough to accept them.”
A rumble of protest swept around the table and Sebastian hid a smile as he leaned over to whisper to Chao.
“She's got them,” he said softly.
Chao looked at him in confusion.
“What? How has she got them? They're just angry now.”
“Exactly. Tammy's subtly challenging them, their beliefs and their courage. And I think that they are rising to the bait. Let's see if it works.”
Malcolm rose to his feet and looked around the table. The angry mutters faded away and Tamara smiled at the towering warrior.
“Yes, Malcolm? You want to say something?”
“I do,” he rumbled. “I think that you are underestimating all of us, Tamara. Once upon a time, I was looked upon with suspicion by my fellow citizens. After Aiden and I were bitten by a werewolf many years ago, we were considered monsters back in the old village of Nottinghill. We actually agreed with that assessment and locked ourselves away during the full moon. We reached the point where we were willing to die rather than threaten our people with our bestial forms.”
He shook his head as if he couldn't accept those old memories, but shrugged and smiled up the table at Tamara.
“But then Simon O'Toole came along. Such a good man. He didn't give up on us. He found a way to save us, by forging pendants that could counter our curse and allow us to do what we were Changed into warriors to do. Protect our people. I no longer need that aid, and Aiden is gone, but all of you have allowed me to continue to do what I do best. In fact, now I lead the troops of Nottinghill Castle. How did that even happen?” he added with a touch of wonder in his voice. “There are days when I still think that I must be dreaming, considering how times have changed and how far we have all come.”
There was a ripple of warm laughter around the table.
“We all trust you, Malcolm,” Daniel stated loudly.
“Aye!” several others exclaimed.
“What I am saying, Tamara,” Malcolm continued, “is that I think you are wrong about us and our beliefs. With all due respect, I believe that all of us have seen and done enough since the fall of the human race to wash away most of our old prejudices and fears. Yes, we are not perfect and yes, some of us are resistant to change. But to save our people, we will do what must be done, even if it means allying with others who may be quite different from the average person, like I am.”
He sat down again and a number of the other leaders burst into applause. Tamara joined them and Malcolm nodded at her with great dignity.
“Thank you, my friend,” she said to him. “I know your history and I admire your fortitude.” She looked at the others. “I am not trying to insult any of you around this table and I appreciate your willingness to embrace our new allies. But are you open-minded enough to accept a race that is not mortal, unlike the dwarves and the elves?”
“What race, Tamara?” someone called out.
Before she could answer, a burst of light made Tamara blink in surprise. Above the conference table, a shower of silver sparks caught everyone's attention and a startled silence fell over the group.
Hovering there, her wings a blur of gold and silver, was Ellas. She looked down at the wide-eyed leaders, saying nothing. One at a time, she focused on each person, her wide blue eyes catching each of theirs as she turned in a slow circle. Tamara could not imagine a more perfect example of a legendary fairy than Ellas appeared to be in that moment.
The queen stared at Tamara and silently nodded.
“Our last potential allegiance is with the Fay,” the mage announced in a strong voice. “Ellas and her people want to formally join with us to fight against the Darkness. Yes, they are different from the mortal races. No one disputes that fact. But they are not evil and, in fact, they were exiled from their home world, our world, by the lords of Chaos because of their resistance to that evil. Now they are the targets of the dark gods' forces as much as we are. I believe that their strength and powers, when added to our own, will benefit us both.”
She looked at the other leaders.
“The question is, do you agree?”
A moment of silence followed her question as the group stared up at Ellas in wonder. Many of them had never seen her before. They had only heard stories about her from others. She glowed with silver light as she hovered silently above them and her other-worldly beauty was breath-taking.
“I agree.”
Daniel pushed himself to his feet and looked up the table at Tamara.
“I know that not all of the Fay are as beautiful and as inspiring as Ellas is,” he continued. “But she is their queen and they follow her orders completely.”
Ellas smiled sweetly at the blacksmith and Daniel cleared his throat before he bowed awkwardly to her.
“We need all the help that we can get,” he added. “I vote to ally with the Fay.”
Malcolm sprang to his feet again.
“I second that,” he boomed. “Ellas and her people are a force to be reckoned with and we need them.”
Both Veronique and Sylvie rose to stand with Malcolm.
“We also vote yes,” Veronique told the group.
One by one each leader stood up to agree to enter into an alliance with the Fay. Several of them were slow to rise to their feet, but in the end, every person was standing in solidarity with the others.
Tamara smiled in relief at Ellas and the fairy nodded back at her in satisfaction.
“On behalf of my people, I thank you all for your support,” Ellas said in her sweet, high-pitched voice. “When you need us, we will be here for you. When you call, we will answer. Together with your people, the dwarves and the elves, the Fay will fight against the forces of Darkness and defend this world from their evil. We will not retreat again. With our unified strength, we will triumph over them and drive them back into the Void which spawned them!”
A cheer followed her stirring words and Ellas bowed gracefully to all of them before she disappeared in another shower of silver sparks.
“Well, she appeared at just the right moment, didn't she?” Sebastian observed as Tamara sat down again.
“Yes, she did,” she agreed. “Chao, did you have anything to do with that?”
Chao stroked the metal fan in his sash and smiled shyly.
“Perhaps. I simply allowed Ellas to listen in on our discussion. She chose to join us when she did. But I am not surprised at her response. Ellas has been a leader for millennia. If anyone knows how to pick the right moment to appear, it is an immortal like her.”
“Well, I'm just glad you did that for us,” Tamara told him gratefully. “I'm not sure that our friends here would have voted to ally with the Fay without Ellas' help. But now the real work begins. We have to set up lines of communication with all of our new allies. And we'll have to appoint ambassadors to send to the dwarves and the elves, as they will have to send representatives here. I think that you are the obvious intermediary between the Fay and us, Chao.”
The smaller man nodded.
“If that is your wish,” he replied. “Ellas at least knows me fairly well, although she spends a great deal of her time berating me for some reason.”
His doleful expression made Tamara smile, while Sebastian chuckled in commiseration.
“She likes you,” he told Chao. “Maybe she attacks you because she is so comfortable around you.”
Chao sighed and sat back in his seat.
“You may be right. Well, I can work with her even though she can be trying. And despite her mercurial nature, Ellas and her people despise the Chao lords and their servants as much as we do. Maybe even more, considering how long they have existed and fought that evil.”
Tamara watched the other leaders who were now chatting companionably with each other. She smiled in satisfaction at their happy expressions.
“We've made a good start today,” she told Sebastian and Chao. “Much better than I could have hoped for. But as I said, now the real work begins. Let's let our friends enjoy the moment. Tomorrow we can focus on the future.”
“A future that looks a little brighter now, thanks to you,” Chao told her.
Tamara shook her head.
“Thanks to all of us. The human race, or what's left of it, has come a long way. I actually have a glimmer of hope for the future now, and that is at least a start. We'll see where this goes from here.”
Chapter 5
In a sunlit clearing surrounded by thick tall trees, a handful of elves stood together and spoke quietly with each other. Amelda and Malfiess wore their official Council robes; her robe was pale green while his was deep blue. Ethmira and Chase were clad in leather armor and armed with bows and short swords. Their heads were bare.
Beneath the shadows of the trees, a dozen rangers kept watch. The forest was home to predatory creatures and not even the elves were safe from them.
“Callius did tell them that we would be meeting at midday, did he not?” Amelda asked Malfiess as she glanced up at the sun hanging high overhead.
“He did, Elder,” Malfiess assured her. “I'm sure that they will be along shortly.”
“I hope so. Just between you and me, I'm sorry now that we didn't bring along a few chairs.”
Amelda sighed and shook her head.
“I'm not as young as I once was and if I have to stand here for hours, I'm not at all sure that my legs will be up to the task.”
Malfiess smiled at her.
“You are ageless, Elder,” he said. “After what we endured back on Trillfarness, I doubt that a day spent standing in the sun will be a problem for you.”
She gave him a withering look.
“Flattery doesn't work on me, Malfiess. Surely you know that by now.”
“I do,” he replied with a chuckle. “But I thought that it might lighten the mood a little. Yes, this meeting may be key to our long-term survival, but I trust in your experience and diplomatic skill to achieve a satisfactory outcome.”
“Thank you,” Amelda said sourly. “We'll see soon enough, I suppose. If they ever arrive, that is.”
Ethmira and Chase stood behind the two Council members and they exchanged a small smile as they listened to their conversation. Chase was on edge, knowing how crucial this first contact with their potential allies would be. One wrong word could ruin the entire enterprise and she wasn't as confident in Amelda's abilities as Malfiess seemed to be.
But her job was to remain silent and protect the councilors and she focused on that. The diplomacy was best left up to the Council members and whoever showed up for the meeting. She just hoped that they were all up to the task.
There was a sense of serenity hanging over the glade. Many birds sang excitedly in the warm sunlight, while a gentle breeze wafted across the clearing and the forest leaves waved and danced as it passed through the trees around the waiting elves.
Ethmira suddenly frowned and looked around the clearing. A few seconds later, Chase did the same.
Malfiess noticed their sudden movements and turned to stare at the rangers.
“What is it?” he asked quickly. “Do you hear something?”
Amelda looked at them as Ethmira shook her head.
“Hear something? No. But I feel something. Don't you, Councilor?”
Malfiess stood still for a moment, frowning intensely. Then he nodded and he too began to look around, searching for the source.
“The ground is shaking,” he told Amelda. “Can you feel it? It's subtle, but it's growing stronger every second.”
The Elder's eyes swept around the glade as the earth under her feet began to vibrate more violently.
“Earthquake?” she wondered.
“I don't think so,” Ethmira replied as she scanned the clearing. “It is too gradual, too slow to build. No, this is something else.”
The vibrations continued to grow stronger until the ground was shaking enough that Malfiess gently took Amelda's arm to steady her. She gave him a grateful look and then all of them waited to see what would happen.
On the northern side of the clearing, the ground suddenly burst open and a large machine emerged in a spray of dirt and gravel. It was tipped with a gleaming drill that was rotating so quickly that it was just a blur. As it rocked forward and settled on to the surface, the drill began to slow, its loud whine subsiding. The metal, cylindrical body of the machine itself was covered with splashes of mud and soil and, as the elves watched in wonder, a curved door on its side opened outward with a loud clang.
Half a dozen armored figures quickly exited from the machine and spread out in a loose semi-circle around the door. They were wearing gleaming steel armor stamped with a royal seal and their heads and faces were completely covered by heavy helms. Not one of them was over five feet tall, but each was stocky and obviously very strong.
All of the warriors were armed with broad hammers and shields hung from their backs. None of them had drawn their weapons, but their vigilance was apparent in their cautious movements and it was obvious that they were suspicious of their surroundings.
“Well, there's no mistaking the identity of our visitors,” Amelda said dryly. “The dwarves have arrived.”
